Concert Review: The Dillinger Escape Plan at Mohawk

“How could it all be?” Those four words, a triumphant, gutteral scream coming from The Dillinger Escape Plan’s vocalist, Greg Puciato, set off a night full of uncontrolled chaos at the Mohawk, this past Saturday night. As the band opened with ”Prancer,” it became immediately apparent that this show was not going to be like any other show.

The band’s set was enjoyably varied, featuring songs from their latest release, One of Us Is the Killer, as well as from older albums such as Ire Works and Miss Machine. What is most commendable (and even bizarre) about The Dillinger Escape Plan, is the amount of stamina and energy each member seems to possess. From Puciato constantly stage diving to lead guitarist Ben Weinman jumping across the stage, the group managed to maintain a certain energy until he very end of their set.

Although the band would end their set with an encore that included ”Sunshine the Werewolf” and ”The Mullet Burden,” the best moment of the show was when Puciato, wireless microphone in hand, made his way to the second floor of the Mohawk. Standing on top of the rail, he waited until the last remaining seconds of ”43% Burnt” kicked in. The timing could not have been more perfect: Bill Rymer’s snare popped alongside Weinman and rhythm guitarist James Love’s dissonant guitar strums, while bassist Liam Wilson added to the intensity with punching bass. As soon as they came in, Puciato was in the air, landing underneath a sea of energetic hands.

When The Dillinger Escape Plan comes to your town, be ready for anything and everything, because for the 40 plus minutes they were onstage, any and all rules were meant to be broken.———

* The Dillinger Escape Plan performed at Mohawk on May 3. Tera Melos, Vattnet Viskar and DSGNS opened the show. Live photos by Nicholas Kwasny below.